CDATips

Control Z: Your new best friend

Control Z: The Keyboard Shortcut that became your best friend

Everybody has them, those one or two shortcuts that they absolutely could not live without. For me, it is the Ctrl + Z keyboard shortcut for “Undo.” It is the magic eraser of the computer, and will allow you to undo up to the last 25 actions you have taken while the document is open.… Keep Reading

The Go-To Keyboard Shortcut: Jumping Around in Excel and Word

There are several great tools that will help you jump around in Excel and Word without having to use the mouse. These tools are called Command Shortcuts by Microsoft, but most everyone else knows them as Keyboard Shortcuts. The key to using shortcuts is to be willing to experiment! If you want to do something… Keep Reading

Creating your first macro using visual basic

The computer is first and foremost a time-saving device. My husband was just telling me about how the railroads used armies of clerks to keep track of each box car and it’s contents “back in the day,” and how all of that labor was now being handled by a few desktop computers. Imagine Mr. Scrooge meets… Keep Reading

Turning on the Developer Tab in Excel 2013

A lot of the more advanced features in Excel are accessed through a tab that the majority of people never see; that tab is called the Developer tab. The most common reason people turn on the Developer tab is to access tools that create Macros and Forms. I’ll show you how to use some of… Keep Reading

The FormulaText() Function: New in Excel 2013

There’s a new way to view your formulas in Excel 2013, thanks to a new function called FormulaText(). While other versions of Show Formula force you to choose between seeing your formula or the calculated value, this new function allows you to convert the formula to text and put it in another cell. This is… Keep Reading

Apple App Store Vulnerable, Change Your Apple ID Password Now!

So if you haven’t heard yet, you’re going to hear all about the recent security vulnerability discovered inside some apps on the Apple App Store. The short story is that some developers in China downloaded a fake version of Apple’s development software, and that buried inside that fake version is a tool that allows hackers… Keep Reading

When disaster strikes… or it’s a Monday

Backup Plans for when Crashes Happen

I often tell students that there is no greater teacher than experience…. You can learn from mine, or you can go get some of your own. And today’s tip is no exception to that. I came into the office today only to find that my main production computer would not work. It’s Monday morning, so… Keep Reading

The Demise of the Home Button

Do you need a home button

This is a quick one for a Friday afternoon, but have you ever noticed how many websites are doing away with the home button? CDAComputer.Tips is still using a home button as of this writing, but the sister site CDAComputer.Training is not. The fact is that web designers have been making the company logo a… Keep Reading

How to Add Sound to a PowerPoint Slideshow

PowerPoint has plenty of built-in sound effects that people use when they are creating presentations. It’s a shame, but many people think that those burps, bleeps, drumrolls and thunderclaps are all they can use. A high-quality presentation, however, will often have background music playing on an opening slide while the audience comes in and chooses… Keep Reading